The leader of Birmingham City Council has joined the board of the Colmore business improvement district.

Coun John Clancy took office as leader of the council last December, replacing Sir Albert Bore who also sat on the Colmore Business District board.

A business improvement district (BID) is a defined geographical area within which local businesses pay an extra levy on their rates to invest in projects and services, such as the Colmore Food Festival which is one of Colmore Business District's flagship projects.

Coun Clancy, who has been a university lecturer, English teacher and solicitor, said: "Birmingham is definitely open for business and, as a well-established business improvement district, Colmore Business District has a major role to play in our continued growth.

"I'm delighted to be joining the board and look forward to working with business leaders as we continue to develop a hugely important part of the city."

The board is chaired by Gary Cardin, senior director and head of planning at property consultancy CBRE in Birmingham.

He said: "We're delighted to welcome the city leader to the Colmore Business District board.

"Colmore Business District works in partnership with the city council on so many economic, infrastructure and public realm projects, we believe having Coun Clancy involved at such a strategic level will strengthen this relationship for the benefit of businesses in the area."